This was my final deliverable for my Market Research class at Boston University. We had a little more than a month to conduct 2 focus groups, send out well-thought out surveys, and then synthesize our findings to meet the scope requirements of our client. You can see how they\’ve transformed the original game here: http://thetaplab.com/

1. Team 3 (L A R P )
u lcus hee an
Fred Lu, Matthew Alcus, Peter Rhee, Victor Pan
Presents
work.play.sleep

2. Agenda
 Background
 Management Problems
 Research Problem
 Research Methodology
 Focus Groups, Online Questionnaires
 Research Conclusion

3. work.play.sleep.
• Corporate belief: to develop an array of awesome
applications that sync with a mobile lifestyle.
• “blur the lines between work, play, and sleep”
• Releases a location-based mobile game which allows
you to own virtual property.

4. Competitive Environment
• App market is saturated with location-based programs
• Marketing research data in high demand

5. Management Problems
 During alpha-testing…
A competitor took the idea
 The name Duality…
Was taken
 Management needed to find out…
 Who was interested in their app
 What to improve on after alpha testing
 How to reach their target audience

6. Research Problems
Management Research Problem
Problem
Who was interested in Define work.play.sleep target
their app market
Determine the optimal mediums to
How to reach their communicate product benefits to
target audience the target market
What to improve on Determine in-game upgrades with
after alpha testing greatest added value to consumers
Find a good name for Generate a list of potential game
the game titles

7. Research Methods
Research Problem
Methodology
Define work.play.sleep target
market
Determine the optimal Focus Group
mediums to communicate
product benefits to the target
market
Determine in-game upgrades Questionnaires
with greatest added value to
consumers
Generate a list of potential
game titles

8. Focus Group
 Only invited alpha-testers of Duality
 Focused on game improvements and word of mouth
processes
 Alpha testers had difficulty generating creative names
 Indicated points to strengthen and clarify on the survey.

9. Online Questionnaire
 Convenience sampling through online
questionnaires, N=140
 Timely
 Cost efficient
 Client believed information would be “good enough”
 Respondents mostly ages 18-26, 51/49 M:F ratio, and
mostly lived in Boston
 Incidence rate of 35.7% after mortality
 Results are subjective to sampling frame
error, measurement bias, and non-response bias

10. Findings: Target Market
What is Your Current Occupational or Educational Status?
High School
Student
2%
Working
Professional
20%
College Student
78%
 Client was interested in the behavior of college
students and working professionals

11. Findings: Target Market
Gender vs Purchase Intent
60.00%
53%
50.00%
48.89%
40.00%
34%
Percentage
31.25%
30.00%
Males
Females
20.00%
10.00%
4.44%
3.13%
0.00%
Definitely Will Buy Probably Will Buy Total
Purchase Intent
 Male respondents reacted more positively to the game
concept than female respondents

12. Findings: Target Market
 48.78% City dwellers expected the App Market
 66.67% Non-city dwellers expected WOM

13. Findings: Target Market
What types of applications do you download,
if any?
100%
86%
62%
52% 52%
33% 37% 37%
28% 30%
2%
 Social Networking, Music, Utilities, and News
application ads are easier to reach gamers

14. Findings: Best Communication Mediums
 Word of Mouth and availability in the App Market are the key
drivers to finding and downloading apps.

15. Findings: Best Communication Mediums
Real (7)
City (29)
RealCity
Empire (8)
City Tycoon
Metro Empires
Cityopoly
Urban Empires
Real-Estate Empire Tycoon (4)
Metro (9) Hometown Tycoon
Metro Empires City Tycoon
Metro Tycoon Real Estate Tycoon
Metropoly Metro Tycoon
Metropolize
 Participants generated keywords related to game
concept through name suggestion.

16. Findings: Best In-game Upgrades
Players should be able to… Strongly Agre Neither Disagree Strongly I N
Agree e Agree Disagree Don’t
Disagree Know
purchase in-game money with 12 15 11 15 2 54
real money
1
purchase point packages in the
game.
1 18 15 9 11 2 54
buy in-game items that attack
and defend with real money
1 14 16 11 12 2 54
purchase items that increase the
property value with real money.
2 16 15 8 13 2 54
customize the upgrades of
properties important to me.
12 26 12 4 1 1 55
customize in game character 15 22 10 5 3 1 55
getdiscounts and coupons from
stores checked in
19 19 12 2 1 3 53
get recognition for in-game
achievements
11 14 25 4 1 1 55
Values 5 4 3 2 1 0

17. Findings: Best In-game Upgrades
The level you agree/disagree that… Mean St. Deviation 95% St. Error
Players should be able to purchase in-game money with real money 2.50 1.19 0.32
Players should be able to purchase point packages in the game. (e.g. $1 2.80 1.16 0.31
for 500 in-game currency, $2 for 1000 and so on for in-game upgrades
and items)
Players should be able to buy in-game items with real money. (Items 2.65 2.87 0.77
are used to defend from or attack other players)
Players should be able to purchase items that increase the value of 2.74 1.23 0.33
their property with real money.
Being able to customize the upgrades of my properties would be 0.93 0.25
3.80
important to me.
Having more customizations of my in game character would be important 1.13 0.30
3.75
to me.
Getting discounts and coupons to stores I check into would be important 1.11 0.30
4.00
to me.
Being recognized for my in-game achievements would be important to me. 0.96 0.25
3.55
(e.g. rankings or awards)
 In-game improvements that involved real money were not popular
 Participants wanted more game-play and function upgrades

18. Findings: Best In-game Upgrades
 The more you play, the more you think it is unfair that players
can “cheat” by spending more money.

19. Findings: Best In-game Upgrades
Upgrades vs Purchase Intent
Model Summary
 Being able to customize
Std. Error of the
Model R R Square Adjusted R Square Estimate
character, upgrades of
1 .424a .180 .170 .690
properties, and having in-
a. Predictors: (Constant), 10. Please choose the level in which you agree or game achievements
disagree with the following statements.-Being able to customize the upgrades
of my properties would be important to me.
impacted purchase intent
Coefficientsa
Standardized
 Very little of
Unstandardized Coefficients Coefficients purchase intent
Model B Std. Error Beta t Sig. can be
1 (Constant) 2.063 .155 13.295 .000
explained by
10. Please choose the
level in which you agree upgrades
or disagree with the
following statements.-
Being able to customize .255 .058 .424 4.439 .000
the upgrades of my
properties would be
important to me.
a. Dependent Variable: 12. Based on your answer in Question 10, what would be your purchase intent?

20. Findings: Potential Game Titles
Recommendations  Title should have keyword(s) that
1.MyCity help memory retention of the
2. Metropoly game
3. Mad Props (Property)

21. Research Conclusion
 Genders have different levels of interest
Management in the game.
Problem  Demographics impact consumer search
processes. (Urban vsRural)
Research
Problem  In-game improvements that involved real
money will not popular be popular in
general, especially to heavier gamers.
Methodology
 Incorporate more customizability on
Findings character avatars, property upgrades,
and improve achievement board.
 Names like MyCity help consumers
identify and relate to a hard to get
concept.